Improvement in hop-picker



tnted (States MYRON MOSES, OF MALONE, NEW YORK.

Letters Pate/nt No. 101,494, dated April 5, 1870; antcdated April l,lSTO.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOP-PICKER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern:

A13e it known that I, MYRON Mosns, of Malone, in the county of Franklinaud State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inHop-Pickers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear,'and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledinV the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specitlcation, in which-Figure 1 is a top view of my improved machine, part being broken away toshow the construction.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section ot' the same, taken throughthc line n; a', fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invent-ion has for its 'object to furnish an improved machine forpicking hops from the vines, separating them from the vines and leaves,and cleaning them, which shall be simple in construction and effectvivein operation, doing its work quickly aud-well.

It consists in the construction and combination of various parts of themachine, as hereinafter morefull y described.

A is the frame of the machine.

Bis the feed-apron. h

C are the feed-rollers, which may be made of rubber or other suitablematerial, the lower one of which revolves in stationary bearingsattached to the frame The bearings of the upper feed-roller C are placedin a vertical slot in supports attached tothe frame A, so that the saidupper feed-rol1er may give, to aceon1, modate itself to the varyingthickness ot' thc vines passing between said feed-rollers.

The bearings of the upper feed-roller G are held down by coiled orequivalent springs, so that they may hold the vines with the necessarystrength, while, at the same time, they give, to adjust the roller C tothevaryiug thicknessof the vines passing through the machine. To theends of the journals of the feed-rollers C, upon one side of themachine, are attached fingergear wheels J, the teeth of which mesh int-oeach other, so that the one' roller may be driven by the other. t

To one of the journals of the lower fcedfroller C is attached a largegear-wheel, D, the' teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the smallgear-wheel E, at,- tac-hed to the journal of the picker-cylinder F, sothat the said feed-rollers may receive motion from the saidpicker-cylinder F, and so that the said feed-rollers may move at lessvelocitylthan the said piekercylinder, and thus hold the vines againstthe action of' the teeth of the picker-cylinder F.-

rows of teeth or pickers, j", by tl-e action ot' which thel clusters ofhops, vines, and leaves are torn in pieces, and pass beneath thecylinder F, along the concave G.

The `concave G is made of iron or other suitable metal, and upon such a.curve that there may be a little space between the ends of the teeth fand the surl'aceof the concave G, where the hops pass in, said spacebecoming less and less until where the hops pass out the teeth j" mayjust clear the surface of the said concave.

'lhe concave Cr is removably secured in place, so that, as it becomesworn, it mayl be conveniently removed and replaced with a new one.

The cylinder F and the upper part ol' the upper feed-roller C arecovered aud incased with a removable cap, H, to prevent the hops frombeing scattered by/the rapid revolutionot' the cylinder F.

I is a'plate, attached to the side of the cap H, o1' to some othersuitable support.

The lower edge of the plate I projects inward to or nearly to thesurface of the cylinder F, and is slotted, to allow the teeth or'pickcrsj" of said cylinder F to pass through, as shown in 1 and 2, the slottedplate or comb I thus cleaningr ofi' the teeth of the cylinder, and thuspreventing any ot' the hops or vines from being carried back by saidteeth.

K is a spout, leading forward from the cylinder F, and the forward partot' which is curved downward, so as to allowthc hops, villes, and leavesto drop through the lower partei' the machine, where, while falling,they arc exposed to the blast of air issuing from the spout L'ot' thefan-blower.

The blast of the fan-blower must be suiiciently strong to separate thehops from the vines and leaves, so that, while the vines and leaves dropupon the ground or into a receptacle prepared to receive them, the hopsmay be driven into and through the spout M, by which they are conductedinto thc desired receptacle.

As the hops are very light, the mouth ofthe spout M should bcmadcsomewhat hopper-shaped, and the spout should be so adjusted in placeupon the frame A that its mouth may be in a direct line with the spout Lof the fan-blower.

The shaft N, to which the l'ans 0 are attached, is driven from thcpicker-cylinder F bythe band F, which passes around the pulley Q,attached tothe end of one of the journals of said cylinder F, and aroundthe pulley ll., att-ached to the end of the journal of the ratedvelocity, and the former thus holding, while the lutter strips the hopsfrom the vinos, in the manner dcsmibed.

2. The slotted or comb-plate l, in combination with the picker-cylinderF, substantially :is herein shown and described, and for the purpose setforth.

3. The spout M, constructed substantially as described, in combinationwith the spou'ts K und L, to receive and collect the hops driven o' bythe blast, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The combination of the feed-rollers C', pickel'- cylinder F, cap H,comb or cleaner-plate I, spout K, fun-blower N O, blast-spout L, andspout M, vn'th euch other, said parts being constructed and arrangedsubstantially as herein shown and described, und for the purpose setforth.

lhe above specification of my invention signed by ine this 15th dsl-y ofJ une, 1863.

' MYRON MOSES. Witnesses:

Fiumi BLOCKLEY, ALEX. l. Ronnn'rs.

